July 31, 2008 - Disney Interactive has decided that musically inclined games are the market they want to tap into next. Not a bad idea, especially considering that since November 2005, the genre has turned itself into a multi-billion dollar money-making machine. Ultimate Band looks like it is poised to take its fair share of the market this holiday season by seemingly moving away from the simulation area to a more all-around game where party fun is the target.

It's still a little early to tell, but all the pieces are there for this game to really be a hit with small children all the way up to those secretive air guitar playing adults. The Nintendo Wii version of Ultimate Band will feature the option for one to four players to create a band and start playing gigs first in garages and over time in internationally renowned venues. Players have the option of playing as a drummer, lead and bass guitarists, or front man, though no vocals are involved or added peripherals.

It's still a little early to tell, but all the pieces are there for this game to really be a hit with small children all the way up to those secretive air guitar playing adults. The Nintendo Wii version of Ultimate Band will feature the option for one to four players to create a band and start playing gigs first in garages and over time in internationally renowned venues. Players have the option of playing as a drummer, lead and bass guitarists, or front man, though no vocals are involved or added peripherals.

Another interesting feature is the player enabled/controlled emote system. Based upon player movements, the character on screen will do certain tricks during downtime for their particular instrument, taking some of the dull moments away from a particularly long guitar solo, and letting everyone stay involved. The bass guitar, generally for the beginners of the music game area, actually looks to have a very cool way to play. The C, Z, and C+Z buttons are effectively the notes for the bass, but bass players will have to move their Nunchuk up and down to simulate movement on the neck of a real guitar. The new features look like a lot of fun and we'll have to see what else pops up between now and release.

A few things that Ultimate Band may lack in are a challenging difficulty for diehard Guitar Hero and Rock Band fans, a confusing interface when things are moving around a lot, and incomplete recognition of instrumental motions as well as some other picky issues. Experts of the previously mentioned games will likely not find the rush of a challenge with Ultimate Band. Still, the new playing style, which allows a bit more freedom, could still be worth the time to play. The actual on-screen playing could turn a bit confusing to a younger audience, though, which could quickly leave the game on the shelf. It's too early to tell. It isn't too early to say that there will be a lot of motion, bright lights, and colors moving around on screen. Another issue some people might have is many if not all movements are registered with the game. This issue is very unlikely to be a problem, but could become a nuisance if playing at a distance from the Wii is a habit. Finally, the music in the game is going to be covered and not a master recording. To counter this, Disney Interactive has been working to allow for both a male and female singer part, depending on the chosen gender of the front man/woman, to fill in the vocals for songs. This feature will likely turn out to work in the end, though losing the master recording for instrumental purposes could be interesting if new parts are written well, or fail miserably if left to wander too much.

The DS version looks to be just as interesting as its Wii counterpart. DS players can join together to start their own band and rock together on classic songs or, potentially the really great or disappointing part, create and play their own songs with customized instrument parts. The idea sounds great, but it's hard to not see this feature being very limited when the game comes out. Hopefully, this prediction will be wrong.

To sum this preview up, Ultimate Band will likely be near impossible to find on shelves this holiday season. Music entertainment with preteens and teens is huge right now, and playing it with friends with smaller, hand-friendly instruments and popular music screams out potential for hours of fun. Hardcore music game fans will likely shy away at first for a lack of the standard play style and difficulty, but don't be surprised if you see them taking a long look and eventually playing after seeing the game, just for a test run of course. Be sure to check back for updates as we get closer to a release.

By
Ryan Kerst
CCC Freelance Writer

Game Features:

In Ultimate Band, there are four band roles that players can take on - drums, lead guitar, bass guitar and a band front man - all with unique motion mechanics using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk.

Players can either follow a unique narrative story mode or stand up and jam to any songs and venues they've already unlocked.

Ultimate Band offers group and family entertainment through multi-player modes that include head-to-head competition or cooperative play.

30+ songs made famous by artists such as The White Stripes, The Who, The Jonas Brothers, Weezer and more.

All of the songs are re-mastered so they are performed in the gender of the front man and lyrics are age-appropriate.

Players can customize their bands by creating characters that look just like them, or by selecting from different character genres.

Imaginative and real-life venues, such as a haunted mansion or a garage, come to life during gameplay and react to how well fans perform.